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Nebraska Football: Niko Cooper transfer a family-first decision

By Danny Jaillet

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 01: Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers release balloons after the first score against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 01: Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers release balloons after the first score against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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The former Nebraska football player made a smart decision.

It is unfortunate to see a Nebraska football player transfer. It’s even more unfortunate when one of the player’s family members is suffering. That is the case with outside linebacker Niko Cooper.

Cooper took to Twitter early Sunday morning that he was transferring from the Nebraska football program, in part due to his mother’s declining health.

Cooper played in seven games for Nebraska football last season. He recorded three tackles and was a member of Nebraska’s travel roster when they played Ohio State in the opener. Making his debut at Northwestern, he played well on special teams. This spring was going to be an opportunity for him to show growth and build off what he did last season.

This is really unfortunate as I would have liked to have seen what he could do in his second year with the Huskers. However, family definitely comes first. I don’t blame him for entering the transfer portal at all, and looking to be closer to his mother. This isn’t a case of lack of playing time, or unhappiness with the coaching staff. This is a family issue.

https://twitter.com/nikocooper_9/status/1373498033413840902?s=20

Nebraska should be solid at the linebacker position moving forward. From a football standpoint positionally, this is not a loss that is going to affect Nebraska in a huge way. Cooper definitely should try to find the school that is right for him and live out his dream of playing college football.

I will definitely be rooting for him, and I think he will be able to make an impact somewhere else rather quickly. I wrote last summer that he was a player to watch, and coach Mike Dawson was really impressed with the effort he saw out of Cooper. I suspect that he will carry over that same hard-working mentality to whichever program he goes to.

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